Peg's Blog - It Takes Community

Like other Community employees, this morning I was greeted by an email from our system CEO Tim Joslin, saying thanks for putting our heart and soul into the work we do in caring for each other and our patients. This message triggered endorphins in me. I felt a burst of compassion, gratitude and pride. How many CEOs send a love note to their workforce?! So I thought- "Wow, I have to pay this forward!"

Earlier this month I was asking around, "What do people here do to help families who are struggling during the holidays?" When I mentioned this to Robyn Gonzales, she said, "Talk to our homecare teams! So I paid them a visit. I learned not only what the spirit of giving is all about, but also how vital Homecare is to Community Medical Centers.

A week ago last Friday, my father was diagnosed with diffuse large cell B lymphoma. When I called him I tried to hide that I was nervous and emotional. I didn’t know how he was taking the news and I wanted to be strong for him. I was surprised when right out of the gate he said, “If they can take care of this I’ll be fine. And if they can’t, I’ll be fine. I’ve had a great life.” And that was that. He then asked, “Are you coming in for Thanksgiving? They put on a great buffet here.”

September is a great month. Finally hot weather fades. College football is in full swing. It’s too early to shop for Christmas presents thank goodness. And, at Community, we begin communicating our goals for the coming year. As I was thinking about goal setting, I remembered an article I had read on a Southwest flight from Denver to Omaha, so I scoured my home files to find it.

About six weeks ago we hosted an Employer of Choice Decision Accelerator to find out what our employees think we can do better in regard to pay, benefits, learning, and culture. We were in the middle of the first session, when my phone vibrated with a text message. It said, “Call me! I got it”. The message was from my son Patrick.